We use the verbwantto talk about wishes and needs, and to give advice:
What do youwantfor dinner tonight?(wish or desire)
The kitchenwantspainting.(needs)
Youwantto get your tickets soon before they’re all sold out.(I advise you to)
Most uses ofwantinvolve the simple forms of the verb (want, wants, wanted). When we are talking about wishes or desires we can also use the continuous form(is wanting, was wanting, will be wanting).
Wantmeaning ‘wish’ or ‘desire’
We always followwantwith a complement of some kind. The complement completes the meaning of the clause. The complement can be a noun or pronoun as an object, or a verb in theto-infinitive form, or an object plus a verb in theto-infinitive form:
A:D’youwanta drink? I’ve just made some coffee. (noun object)
B:Oh, yes, please.
Not:D’you want?
She said I could have her old bike, but I don’twantit.(pronoun object)
Not: …but I don’t want.
This is a new kind of fruit juice I got. D’youwantto try it?(to-infinitive)
Not:Do you want try it?
The teacherwantsher to do the exams again next year.(object +to-infinitive)
Not:The teacher wants that she does the exams…
In reduced clauses (e.g. short answers), we can use thetowithout its verb:
A:Is Elsa going to France with you?
B:No. She doesn’twantto. (She doesn’t want to go [to France].)
Not:She doesn’t want.
He wanted to leave school at sixteen, but his parents didn’twanthim to.
We don’t usewantwith athat-clause:
Iwantyou to tidy your room before the visitors come.
Not:I want that you tidy your room…
Wantwithwh-words (whatever you want)
Wecan usewh-words such aswhat, when, whenever, wherever, whoeverbeforewant. In such cases, it is often not necessary to use the infinitivetoafterwant:
You don’t have to stay for the whole lecture. You can leavewheneveryouwant.(or… whenever youwant to.)
A:Would you like some of these carrots from our garden?
B:Oh, yes, please.
A:Takewhatyouwant.
Wantwithif
In statements withif, it is often not necessary to use the infinitivetoafterwant:
She can park her car at our house,ifshewants.
However, we use the infinitivetoafterwantin negative clauses withif:
He doesn’t have to stay the nightifhedoesn’twant to.
Wantin the continuous form
We can usewantin the continuous form to show indirectness or politeness:
Customer:We’rewantingto buy a new TV, but we’re not sure what to get.
Assistant:Okay, sir. Let me show you some of them.
Iwaswantingto ask you something. Are you free right now?
We can also use the continuous form to emphasise an ongoing or repeated process:
We’dbeenwantingto go to New Zealand for years, so his sixtieth birthday was a good excuse.
Now that she’s a teenager she’swantingexpensive things, you know, computers, clothes, sports stuff.
Wantmeaning ‘need’
We can usewantwith the -ingform of a verb to say that something is necessary or should be done. This usage is quite informal:
Your hairwantscutting.(needs to be cut)
That cupboardwantsclearingout.
In informal situations, we can also usewant + -ingin a similar way to the constructionhave something done:
Have you got any shirts youwantwashing?(which you want to have washed)
Wantfor advice and warnings
In informal situations, we can usewantplus theto-infinitive to advise, recommend or warn. It is almost always in the present simple, but we can also use it with’ll(the short form ofwill):
Youwantto be careful riding your bike in town. There’ve been some bad accidents lately.(you should be careful)
What you’llwantto do, you’llwantto take that bit off and clean it with oil or something.